Can Oregon catch USC in recruiting?

Since 2000, the Pac-12 has been all Oregon and USC. Other schools have snuck in to share a conference crown, but only the Ducks and Trojans have won the title outright.

Tony Avelar for ESPNHSCalifornia's top player in the Class of 2012, Arik Armstead originally committed to USC before flipping to Oregon.

For most of the decade, the Trojans were the team to beat. Since Chip Kelly took over the Oregon head coaching job in 2009, the Ducks have been nearly unstoppable. The Ducks won the head-to-head battles on the field with USC in 2007, 2009 and 2010. USC topped the Ducks in 2008 and 2011.

The Ducks have begun to take over as the best program in the conference under Kelly's leadership. Passing USC on the field is one thing. Doing the same in recruiting, where USC has maintained its dominance in the face of NCAA sanctions, is a lot harder.